
Baroque piano music can be characterized by its melody (emphasis on a single melodic idea), texture (balance of melody with chordal harmony), and rhythm (continuous rhythmic drive). Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, and Giovanni Benedetto Platti. The Baroque period constitutes the most formative years of piano composition.

This was done so that the performer would have control over the volume and sound produced by the instrument. In the piano, the strings were struck with hammers instead of being plucked by pieces of leather. Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori designed a keyboard that resembled a harpsichord but functioned differently. It is during this Baroque period that the piano as we know it today was created.


The term “Baroque” is derived from the Portuguese “barroco,” which means “oddly shaped pearl.” This negative description was applied to the period of Western European art and music that ran from about 1600 to 1750 as a way to describe the heavily ornamented music of the time.
